Eating night before long run (Read 919 times)

I like to have food an hour or two before a run, esp. a long run -- and I like to have a good dinner late the night before a long run too. But I also know some people who like to have no food for at least two hours prior. (But, I'm not in it for weight loss per se, so my .02 may be only worth .01 here.)

Hello - question for you all. Up to 15 miles on my long runs and also trying to loose weight. Always chasing those last 5 pounds. They talk about hitting the wall, well I think I ran right into it today. Had a very light dinner, no protein or carbs last night. Ran 15 this morning, and it was HARD! Trying to find excuses besides it was warm and running 15 miles IS hard. Do you plan your dinner the night before long runs? Do I need to think about this or am I just looking for excuses? thanks for your help.

You need to be careful with the not eating thing. I'm still a relative rookie (1 year running this week), but I understand the frustration of the last few pounds. The problem some people have with plateaus is not eating enough--your body doesn't get a ton of food, then you go and burn a ton of calories (assuming 100 cals/mi, 1500 in one run)--it thinks like a caveman and preps for famine. Even with my very short long runs (8 or so miles, building to 15 eventually) I grab a small snack. Try eating a banana or something light before your long runs, then stick to your diet plan the rest of the day. A small (200 calorie) extra meal before a long run only helps--and make sure you grab a small snack when you finish as well to keep your metabolism going. Just my two cents.

I eat a good dinner the night before a long run. Sometimes pasta or rice, but not always. Lately, I haven't been eating in the morning before long runs and taking nothing other than Gatorade (or something similar) with me when I run. I carry a GU or two just in case. Afterwards, I'll usually munch on something like a bagel right away. Then coffee (a Grande Bold in a Venti cup, with half & half - the only time of the week I indulge). After a shower, I am ready for a larger breakfast. Usually a good balance of carbs and some protein. Then, BEER.

I usually eat 2 hrs. before long runs over 12 miles. Every once in a while I'll get up late or try to do say 14 without eating and it always comes back to haunt me. A week ago Saturday I did 14 without eating and the last 3 miles were brutal. This past Saturday I had a small banana and a bagel with peanut better. I had a GREAT long run. Felt strong at the end and could've done more. I did have about 20 oz. of Gatorade along with water during the run. I also use chok blox instead of GU's. Three blox = 1 gu. I had 3 blox at 6 miles and 3 more around 11.5. Legs felt good throughout. The week before, my legs were totally gassed at 11 miles.

You need to separate weight loss from training. Do NOT treat your long run as a weight loss event. If you want to get the most from your long runs you should eat a nice high-carb meal the day before, and get 400 calories or so at least 2 hours prior to your run, no later. Then take 200 calories per hour during the run. Gels, food, sportsdrink--whatever, take the calories during the run. Weight loss and quality long runs are not compatible. If you want to lose weight, do it as a long-term plan, but NOT for long runs. The long run is a very important part of your training, especially if you are training for a marathon or longer (you didn't say).

While I agree that the long run is not the place for weight loss, I have personally found it more effective to not eat prior to or during a run. Training without food during the run seems to help my body adapt and curb cramps in the later miles. Whether that is from more efficient fat burning or an increased capacity for storing glycogen, I have no idea. I used to find gels indispensable on my long runs, and I would take 2 or 3 with me for a three hour run, but now I can run 22 miles with nothing but water. I had to wean myself off of the gels, and initially it was difficult, but my body adapted. I started training this way last year and I didn't get cramps in the marathon until mile 22, which I suspect were mainly due to the 90 degree temperature I had to endure that day. The night before, eat carbs like pasta or rice. The day of your long run I would suggest gradually weaning yourself off of gels and Gatorade.

Gu/gels are those little packets of energy gel. They're usually 100-150 calories, made for you to consume during a run. There are lots of brands out there, the only rule is do NOT use them during a race without having tried them out on a long training run first, you may get stomach problems. Regarding the eating during a training run, I generally don't, because like heelgrad said it may help you to train without it. But if you are getting so tired and weak that it affects your training you might want to try the gels or sports drink. It's a tradeoff.

Like the others said you need to eat a substantial dinner the day before your LR. It's hard to cut back on calories when you're running higher mileage. I don't eat anything in the morning before I run, unless I am going out for more than 2 hours. I swear the higher my weekly mileage is, the harder it is to to keep the weight in check. I'm always hungry.